There’s Bodega, the clothing line, and Bodega, an art gallery on the Lower East Side. Not to mention the Bodega, a wine bar in Bushwick, and Bodega Pale Ale, a craft beer only distributed in New York.

“They’re a little dingy, but in a comforting way,” says Queens native Kate Haubrich, who co-founded Third Rail Beer.

The brewery’s citrusy Bodega Pale Ale has been a hit at local beer festivals, where people get excited just by the name, says Ms. Haubrich. New Yorkers feel great affection for the bodega, and for good reason.

“In a bodega, you won’t be judged,” she says. “I can go to a bodega in my pajamas, looking not cute at all, and it’s fine. If I go to the deli, maybe I should put my mascara on first.”